September 13, 2012

A career in good works: Morse scholarship helps student complete project to help children with special needs

A special scholarship from Kansas State University is helping a student from Wichita advance her career interest in working with people with special needs.

Awarded by the K-State Libraries since 2001, the Marjorie J. and Richard L.D. Morse Family and Community Public Policy Scholarship provides funds for a K-State undergraduate student to work on a project that impacts public policy and involves community service. The $3,000 scholarship is made possible through an endowment established by Marjorie J. and Richard L.D. Morse. The role of K-State Libraries, in addition to making the award, is to guide the student through the process of fulfilling the obligations of the scholarship and, as necessary, provide research assistance using the Consumer Movement Archives in the Morse department of special collections at the university's Hale Library.

This year's scholarship recipient, Courtney Frantz, senior in family studies and human services, completed a summer internship with ARC of Sedgwick County, working at the YESS -- Youth Education and Summer Socialization -- Camp.

Frantz was a summer recreational staff member at the camp and also assisted in other administrative/development tasks, including developing curriculum. Camp activities included taking the children out to eat, going to the swimming pool, visiting the local zoo and going horseback riding.

Based on her work at the camp, Frantz developed a 10-week curriculum for a social inclusion program that targeted special-needs elementary children. Included in Frantz's portfolio for the project were supplemental materials such as pictures of the site where she worked, a professional narrative, a literature review and marketing materials.

"This is the 12th summer the Morse scholarship has been presented, and Courtney is another outstanding recipient of this award, which has proven so beneficial to K-Staters and their careers," said Tony Crawford, associate professor and curator of manuscripts in the Morse department of special collections. "The portfolio she compiled for the department's consumer movement archives documents how exceptional her accomplishments were this summer. She plans to have the curriculum for social inclusion that she developed incorporated in an elementary school program."

"Working with the youth was an absolute blast," Frantz said. "I learned so much about patience and understanding by working with this organization."

Frantz said the scholarship gave her an opportunity to help spread awareness for services provided to the special needs community. She would eventually like to work for a nonprofit organization that provides services to people with special needs.

"Without the Morse scholarship, I would not have been able to accomplish all that I did this summer," Frantz said. She plans to graduate in May 2013.